Twin emeralds blazed within the dark mist. Their glow grew until they seemed to burn from within. The light cast strange shadows through the swirling darkness, creating patterns that danced and twisted like living things.
Leo's body rose until his form rotated slowly and then he was upright. His long hair floated around him like strands of midnight silk in an invisible current.
The air halted.
Waited.
Then, slowly, his feet lowered toward the earth. The moment his toes touched the ground, reality shuddered. A shockwave exploded outward. It was not a blast of raw destruction, but a cleansing force with purpose that pushed back the centuries of darkness.
The mist that had cloaked their battlefield pulled back like a tide going out to sea. As it fled, it took the grandeur of Elderglade forest with it. The ancient spires that pierced the heavens vanished. The trees that stood guard for ages disappeared. Even the mysterious creatures that called this sanctuary home were gone.
All of it dissolved like morning dew under a harsh sun.
Where a forest of legend once stood, now stretched an empty prairie. Its flat land was broken only by the disturbed earth of their battle. The change was complete, leaving no trace that this place had ever been a majestic, ageless elven realm.
Only three figures remained in the stark landscape. The giant knelt, its massive form oddly still. The Shadow Elder stared, her twilight eyes wide with disbelief. And there was Leo, standing in the middle of the ruin he had made. The ancient rune on his chest still pulsed with an uncanny light.
"My magic," the Shadow Elder breathed. The word hung in the air between them, heavy with shattered certainties.
"Even the Primordials couldn't..." She cut herself off, her hands trembling at her sides.
For a moment, the only sound was the whisper of wind across the new plains, as if nature itself was trying to fill the void left by the vanished forest.
Leo lifted his arms slowly, looking at them as if seeing them for the first time.
He let out a slow breath, his gaze sweeping over the barren land. The loss of Elderglade's grandeur hung heavy in the air.
A smile tugged at his lips as he turned. He saw Ai and the cats, and with them, a familiar face. The reunion sparked something in his emerald eyes. They blazed brighter, leaving trails of light in the air as he turned back to face the Shadow Elder.
"Tell me," his voice carried both warmth and authority, each word humming with ancient power, "what does the son of the Elven God whisper in your memories?"
The question struck the Shadow Elder's face like lightning. Her calm broke for just a heartbeat before she recovered, drawing herself up with practiced dignity. "Of course I knew..." she began, her tone carrying a hint of offense, but the words died in her throat.
Strange memories crashed through her mind like waves breaking on shores. She saw glimpses of golden halls, a crown of shining light, and heard a voice she couldn't place but somehow knew. Each piece felt like a long-buried truth now clawing its way to the surface.
Her breath caught as each fresh memory carved itself into her soul, as clear and certain as the sunrise.
She shook her head sharply, and pushed away the flood of new memories. "Impossible," she said. "The Elven God never had..." Again, her words slowed to a crawl, each one fighting against the truth trying to surface in her mind.
Her mind reeled in the storm of memories. She saw battles fought for one reason, heard voices that sang in perfect harmony, and felt a unity that shattered into countless echoes. Yet each piece still longed to reunite, to become whole again.
She staggered, her eyes flickering as if the shadows themselves tried to hide her from this unbearable truth.
"So everyone was right," Leo replied.
The Shadow Elder's forehead creased, her lips parting slightly as she stared at him. Each word he spoke echoed inside her, carrying an authority that went beyond mere power.
A truth that could not be denied or resisted.
He turned to the giant, its massive form still bowed low in respect. "Are you perhaps an old friend?" he said, his tone softening with genuine warmth.
The giant's face split into a smile so wide it cracked the surrounding air. Joy spread from its crouched form like heat from a furnace. The pipe in its massive hands glowed brighter, sending spirals of glowing smoke into the barren air.
"Far too old," the Giant rumbled, its voice like the groaning of ancient trees. "But it warms these weary bones to be remembered, even in passing."
Leo smiled.
"Come," his voice carried an invitation that felt more like destiny itself calling.
"Join me in this moment of joy."
"As your queen awakens..."
As if answering his words, the sound of shattering glass rippled through the air. Cracks spilled like a spiderweb in the middle of the empty space around them, but they pulsed with an eerie rhythm, like a heartbeat.
The cracks hummed.
Each new break added its sound to a growing song.
It was a beautiful, clear melody that grew with every moment.
The melody grew louder.
The opposite of the Shadow Elder's earlier orchestra. Her song was about keeping things the same. This new song was about freedom. It was about chains breaking, truths waking up, and a world remembering what it had forgotten.
The Shadow Elder stood frozen. The myriad of colors from the cracks danced in her twilight eyes.
The cracking wrapped around them all, building toward something that felt like both an ending and a beginning.